Colter & Holly + One!!!!!

Time to play "Catch Up"!!!!!!

2011-05-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

Life has turned upside down these past couple of weeks. Seriously, everything I knew before is now gone. To summarize, this is what has been going on:

1) I graduated from BYU!! That's right, after 17ish years of going to school constantly, am I now done! My parents and my mother-in-law came down for the weekend to celebrate in the festivities. Talk about a busy weekend. It still hasn't hit me yet- so far it still feels like a spring break or something. Give me another week and I'm sure I'll be feeling it though!

2) During the same weekend as Graduation, we decided to throw a baby shower! Insane right? Trying to do two big events in one weekend = insanity. But it turned out great! We got some super cute clothes for our little.... GIRL! Yep! We're having ourselves a little girl. I'm still getting over the shock. I could have sworn it was a boy, but so much for Mother's intuition. We're naming her Evolette Grace Montgomery. Her Daddy will call her Evey Grace for short. She got a crib from her Grandma Ward and Aunt Jaimee, and her blessing outfit (among many other outfits)from her Nana. We're so excited that we've already started setting up the baby room. I'm only 5 1/2 months pregnant and the crib is already set up. Be prepared is our motto!

3)Evey Grace
She's doing soo good! And luckily, so is the pregnancy. I'm clear out of the first trimester already- which I must say wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'm at 22 weeks right now, or about 5.5 months along. I do have a nice little bump, which is taking a LOT of adjusting. I'm trying to keep telling myself, "It's not fat, it's just a baby..." Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But it's all good. At her 20 week ultrasound, Evey looks amazing! She has SUPER long legs and a nice, strong, healthy heart and innards. I've just started to feel her move about a week ago, and I swear she hasn't stopped since! She's sooo active, it feels like she's bouncing off the uterine walls. Which I'm sure she is. If I want her stop, all I have to do is have Colter touch my stomach to feel her moving- that usually makes her stop pretty quick. :)

4)Colter
May I just say I have the best husband in existence!!!!!! I'm so sorry all you ladies, but I win the "Best Husband" competition, hands down. He is going to school year-round, meaning he gets no breaks between semesters and is always gone doing the best he can for our family. Yesterday, May 2nd, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary! I can't believe it's already been two years! We're so excited and happy. I know I couldn't have found a harder working man, or a better-looking one- dang he's cute! He's been the most supportive companion, especially throughout this pregnancy. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. I know we can get through anything- I wouldn't be able to do anything without him. Evolette already loves him too. She seriously does backflips when she hears him coming home from work. It's so cute! She just freezes in awe every time he talks or sings to her. I'm really excited when Colter can finally feel her too, or better yet, hold her and begin the Daddy-daughter dynamic duo. :) I love you, Geebee! Happy 2 years!!!!

First comes love....

Then comes marriage...

Now comes baby to complete our family!!!!!

Announcement!

2011-02-11T11:39:00.001-08:00

First comes love.....

Then comes marriage....

Then comes baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HO HO HO!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

Yep, love at first sight.

Bianca, Addison, Aaron, and the Brute.

Is this big one for ME?!

You still got me, Uncle Colter?

How many Montgomery's does it take to put together a pony?

This is what happens when Ashley and shrimp cross paths...

Is there room for one more in the tent?

Where'd everyone go? Why isn't anyone admiring my cuteness?

Sydney's first ride on her pony!

"I'm a pretty pony, clippity-clap, clippity-clap...."

Dontcha wish your baby was cute like me?

I'm thinking... I'm thinking..... I'm thinking... Got it!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Bath Time!!!

2011-01-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Time for General's yearly bath!!!! Doesn't he love it when I come home...

Birthday Fun

2011-01-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, seeing as I took approximately a million pictures during our Christmas break, I'll be posting according to "super-sweet-awesome-fantastic" events. Figured that would be easiest.

So, after a textbook perfect flight from freezing cold Salt Lake to an even colder Denver, we met my parents who volunteered to drive two hours to pick us up. After a thoroughly embarrassing entrance to DIA (involving my mother asking a local news reporter if he wanted to interview and I quote, "the prettiest girl just arriving on a plane?" Yeah, thanks Mom. Gotta love being home. Anyway, we finally got to see my Grandparents, who have spent the last 18 months in Palmyra New York as Temple Missionaries. They haven't seen Colter and I since we have been married, so it was fun to finally see them.

We finally made to Texas Roadhouse, where Colter's family and my family all got together to celebrate all December birthdays, which is way more than any normal family. Here are some pictures from the festivities that night!

Bella's Christmas tutu that I made. I made one for Sydney too. Here's hers:

My sister, Kaitee and her husband Jason LOVED Bella. This was them the entire night. They taught her all new funny faces.

Exhibit A on the faces she learned. :)

Yep. I've got pretty cute nieces.

Who doesn't love dancing in the middle of a restaurant?!

Happy Birthday to: Rick M., Ashley, Addison, Stephanie, and me!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2010-12-11T16:42:00.001-08:00

Turkey Time!

2010-12-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

The semester is almost over!!!!!! The end is near!!!! Paradise is around the corner!!!!!! Ok, that's enough now. there's still a lot to be done before we can really say we're finished. Like finals. Yuck. Not going to talk about that. Instead, let's focus on Thanksgiving holiday!!!!!!

We decided to go up to Idaho Falls to visit my sister, Jaimee. Colter hasn't met a lot of the family I have up there, so it was a good opportunity. Unfortunately, a huge blizzad blazed through a day before, making 2 inches of pure ice on the highway. In other words, a 4 hour drive turned into a 6 hour drive. But it was worth it!

This is how we celebrate the long drive up. :) And this is how Jaimee serves ice cream.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my wonderful Aunt Debbie's house! She was wlling to put up with more than 20 people for Thanksgiving, many of them being under the age of 10. I think my niece Liz developed a slight crush on Colter, considering this is only one of many similar pictures.

My cousin Alan and his wife Jessica brought some of their pets to entertain and teach the kids. Holy cow. BIG snake. Jaimee jumped on the table. Shanna stayed in the kitchen, and the kids, well, they pretty much were enthralled for an hour.

Of all the delicious pies, ice cream and cobbler, Liz and I go for the sucker.

Oh, and this is what Colter did the entire trip. And yes, he still loves me. What can I say, he's the best husband ever?! I know you're jealous. You'll nver find another man like mine.

In case you were wondering, of course we did Black Friday! We went to Walmart. Crazy. A small town of 99% Mormon Moms with 20 kids to each trying to get Christams presents. What were we thinking!? But holy cow did we do good!!!!! 2 dollar DVDs, a vacuum, and 2 sets of sheets. Boo-ya! Perhaps the most miraculous thing was no nail marks. After coming home at 4 in the morning, we slept forever. I don't think we would have woken up if it was Apocalypse.

After coming home, Colter's Grandmother took us to the Sing-along Messiah in Downtown Salt Lake! It was a ton of fun, though really heavy music. I enjoyed listening much more than singing.

Thanks for the incredible Thanksgiving week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Nightmare before Christmas!!!!

2010-10-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

I LOVE fall!!! Falling leaves are possibly the most beautiful thing on the whole planet.

Halloween!!!!!

I love Halloween, but as many of you know, I lack the creative gene, and therefore dressing up and making cute cookies has never been my forte. BUT I love candy, and what holiday goes better with candy than Halloween??? If only we had a kid, it would make getting candy much easier. Until then though, we have to settle for having fun by ourselves. :)

Having said that, this week Colter and I have finally put aside schoolwork and work for one night to celebrate the ghoul-ish season. We relied on other people's creative gene and went to the Cornbelly Maze at Thanksgiving Point!

We finally arrived at Thanksgiving Point, after 30 minutes of sitting in pointless traffic. Stupid construction. Anyway, the first thing that caught our eye was the bull-ride. We didn't go on it, but we sure had fun watching people on it.

We found the kiddie play place and we thought these were too funny. Colter really wanted to be the dark pig... unrealized dream I guess. :)

I know I'll never be dark, so I stick with reality.

Next was this beast! You had to crawl through the whole beast, including the heart. And best of all to end it- out the anus of course....!!!! We must be anatomically correct here, people!!! :0

They had corn/potato/pumpkin guns!!!! We choose corn, and was pleasantly surprised at the launching abilities. Who knew, right? I got it through the tire, while Colter "purposely" hit the pole... You decide the truth of that...

We were just in time to see the pig racing!!! So cute! I want a little pig now. I had no idea little pigs could be that fast either! We now can confirm that the little pig DID cry "wee wee wee" all the way home- or to his pigpen...

Next we tackled to Corn Maze! We decided to take the harder route, and excluding the inches of mud- made it through unscathed!!!!

Sydney- this one is for you! :) This carriage was soo beautiful!!! I wish Sydney could have been there to see it.

The next adventure was the hayride, where two puppies in training sat next to us!!! We couldn't help but take a picture. The scary thing was that as soon as I stood up to get out of the trailer, I realized my phone was gone. After much panicking, we borrowed flashlights and walked around the whole trail looking for my phone. The guy running the tractor found it en route of his next riders. Tender mercy!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY, to round off this incredibly long post, tonight was our Ward Halloween Party!!! They held a chili contest and guess who won!!!!??? That's right! The non-chef!!! Moi!!! Thanks for the recipe, Dad! Guess people really liked it too- considering this is all that was left...

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!!

Return of Scott Jarvie!!!

2010-10-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, before Colter and I were married we had some photos taken up in Salt Lake City so we could have some great professional photos for our wedding. The guy who took the pictures is Scott Jarvie, one of the most amazing photographers I've ever seen in my life. His style is incredible. He never really guides you what to do, but rather watches you and captures natural moments. It never feels posed or placed, but completely natural and fun. This is one of his pictures from that photo shoot...

A couple of weeks ago Scott sent out an email to all of his past clients saying he was doing a free photo shoot. I immediately signed up- how could I not??!! So we drove up to the Timpanogos trail head and had another incredible photo shoot! He is incredible- everyone should have photos taken from him sometime in their life, no matter the cost.

This shoot was so much fun! It was somewhat early in the morning, so the weather was pretty similar to when we had our wedding photos done. Which was freezing, by the way. The whole ground was really moist and dewy, and as you can see, the shoes that I wore have a slick bottom. I also have a passion for climbing trees. Not a good combination when you add my shoes. So between photos I started to just walk on some logs, but being dewy from morning mist, I naturally slipped and fell right on top of it. You rarely see my right hand because it got pretty dirty. It's been a couple of weeks and I still have nasty bruises on my shins. I feel like a kid again!!!

These are just a few pictures. Go to my facebook to see the rest. Here's Scott's website- our photo is also the first one that comes up on his site!!!! You must look at his work- I have no idea how we got so lucky as to have him take our photos.

http://jarviedigital.com/
http://www.facebook.com/JarvieDigital
http://www.jarviedigital.com/blog

Recent Happenings!

2010-10-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've neglected the blog for quite a while. We're discovering what boring lives we have right now, so reporting on recent exciting events is few and far between. Combine that wiht my non-creative writing abiliies and we have the answer as to why I hardly ever write.

Anyway, as mentioned aboce, the only thing we usually do around here is go to school, goto work, go back to school, go back to work, and sleep, though rarely. Colter only has classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is really great for him. He has some really tough clases, but he's finally getting into classes for his major so he's really enjoying it- at least he will after this week when three of his midterms are over. Work is also going ok for him, he's hoping some changes will happen with management, and praying for opportunities elsewhere in case those changes do not occur.

I'm doing prety good myself. As many of you know, I quite (I would say retire, but it makes me sound really old) dance. Not dance all together, just team and the technique classes. It has been a wonderful stress relief. I have time to do whatever I want! Love it. I graduate in April, and I'm having a blast planning my last semester of college ever!!! Scary, but mostly exciting!!!!!

Last week was General Conference! We went up to Salt Lake to spend time with Nonnie and Grandpa and the family up there. Elliot was AMAZING at his football game- returning the football and running for a touchdown! He's going to be a professional athelete, he's amazing. Saturday evening I went and celebrated Grandpa Montgomery and Ron's birthday at Chuck-a-Rama (or up-chuck-a-rama). :) It was a lot of fun, and I went to Mike's place afterward and attempted to watch a scary movie. I say attempted because I didn't watch hardly any of it. I'm a chicken when it comes to scary movies.

Elliot's game. He's number 88. What an amazing place to play football- nice view!

The Montgomery's at Chuck-a-Rama!

We also got new bikes!!!!! We're trying to save our cars (gas and basic wear) so we've been looking at getting bikes for a while, and we finally were able to get some! We're ridin our bikes everyday to school, and for fun. Our butts are still getting used to it, but we're so excited. For those who don't know, I always name my big stuff. Picking a name for my bike was a lot of fun, and I finally decided on Char after my favorite character from the book Ella Enchanted. :)

This is Char! He is awesome. I don't have a picture of Colter's bike, but I know he likes his too. He's already crashed it once. :)

This past week was Homecoming week at BYU. Usually this is a stressful week for me, because the Ballroom Dance Company is always in the Homecoming Parade. Since I'm no longer part of the company, I was able to enjoy and watch the parade for the very first time! It was so much fun! We met up with Cara and Chad, good friends of ours. The parade is so awesome!

Colter and I at the parade!

Colter and the BYU marching band. And his new bike. :) He refuses to name his. Didn't I marry a good-lookin' man????!!!!!

Just chillin' and enjoing NOT dancing for 4 miles straight. Oh the joys of being a spectator. :)Oh! And check out the new-do!!!! yep!!! Got a new haircut!!!!!

Labor Day weekend!!

2010-09-19T22:05:00.001-07:00

My sister, Jaimee, and her husband Mark, and their kids, and my parents all came down for labor day weekend. Holy cow- we actually managed to fit 11 people inside our tiny apartment! I still don't know how we did it, but we managed. Rather than explaining everything in a long paragraph, I'll just post some cute pictures. :)

This is how we managed to fit 11 people in one tiny, two bedroom apartment...

Mother, daughter, daughter... I still don't see the resemblance...

Aftermath of the water at Bridal Veil Falls. Cute little feet!!!

Yep- David fell in the water, though he was not the first one. Daniel wins that prize!!! I just didn't get a good action shot of Daniel falling in...

Say, "Strike a pose" and this is what you get. :)

Feeding the fish at Cabela's! No thankfully no one fell in the water here...

The Lion King!!!!

2010-09-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

For an early Christmas present, Nonnie took all of the grandkids to see The Lion King at the Capitol Theater in downtown Salt Lake City!!!!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! it was incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone sould see it at least once in their lifetime. The costumes, music, singing, acting, and everything else you could possibly imagine was picture perfect!!!! Thank you so so so so so so much Nonnie for taking us. It's definitely something we'll never forget. I got to sit between my two favorite buds- Colter and Elliot. Poor Elliot was so hungry, just coming from football practice. It also was the last time we got to see Sarina before she and Tyler left for China for the whole school year! Sad to see them leave, but they're doing a great thing over there.

Everyone gathering at Nonnie's house before we carpool down there. Everyone looked so amazing! It's so nice to dress up fancy every once in a while.

Everyone inside the theater! I took this just before they yelled at us for taking pictures inside. Oh well... :)

Colter and I just after the show!!! Didn't I marry a good-lookin' man?!!

Cindy Visits!!!!!

2010-09-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

The week before school started this semester, Cindy was ablet o come out for a whoel week to visit!!!! It was so wonderful to have her all to ourselves for a whole week. Though some others did steal her away some time. :) Colter took the entire week off of work, and it was incredible to spend so much time with him.

Colter and Cindy- having some much needed Mother-Son time.

Cindy and Grandpa- having some much neede Daddy-Daughter time. We went out to The Old Spaghetti Factory right before Cindy had to leave to go home. :(

oops...

2010-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just relaized I forgot to post about Sarina's birthday! It's been a while, I just totally spaced it.

So, for those of you who don't know, our cousin Sarina had her 22nd birthday a couple of weeks ago! She wanted to see Toy Story 3 for her birthday. So I met up with Nonnie and we met Aunt Karen, Sam, Brody, Hannah, Tyler, and Sarina in Park City! We had delicious Cafe Rio for dinner and then the movie!!! I didn't knwo that we were actually seeing the 3d version, and as predicted, I was slightly sea-sick at the end. Anyway, it was a great night! Here are some picture!!!! Happy Birthday, Sarina- belated!

Men in Tights Song

2010-08-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is what gets me through every final that I take. Whenever I get really stressed, this is my favorite thing to watch to help remind me to not take things too seriously. I thought I'd share this, considering that my last year of school ever will be starting up in just a few weeks!!!

The Hills Are Alive!!!!

2010-08-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

Last week Nonnie took me to see the Sound of Music up in Logan! I've always loved the movie, but I've never seen it on stage before. It was amazing! There is so much talent here in Utah I can't believe it! I didn't understand why half the audience would stand up right before the play and during intermission. I chuckled to Nonnie that the President of the U.S. was there. Nope, but the the President of the church was!!! President Monson was there! I didn't get to meet him or anything, he was ushered out quickly.

We went to lunch before at the Bluebird restaurant, which is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. It was like walking into the 1920s. I felt like I needed to be wearing a floor-length gown. It had an old-fashioned soda bar and the most amazing chocolate shakes and caramel!

Dancing Queens!!!

2010-07-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to post this video. I had to upload it onto youtube. Here's the link below. It's the video of Uncle Dan and Tyler dancing to the new Wii game "Just Dance" Make sure to grab tissues because you'll be laughing so hard you'll cry. Here's the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuWvt8OvO7E

Pouncing Nilla!

2010-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Nilla, Hannah 's puppy, practicing her 'foxy-like reflexes.' She's the cutest thing in the world, and has a great personality. She's really fiesty and adorable!

4th of July!!

2010-07-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

This past 4th of July weekend we went up to Salt Lake and Evanston Wy. to spend time with family! The first part of the weekend we spent with Colter's Nonnie and Grandpa, and their puppy Rusty! We had so much fun! We took Rusty to the local dog park, where he loved getting into the water and playing with the other dogs.

On Saturday, we went to Colter's Aunt and Uncle's for a BBQ and firework show. Cameron was estatic about lighting off his own fireworks. He had so many of them, I couldn't believe how long it lasted.

Then we drove up to Evanston to hang with another one of Cotler's aunts. Colter couldn't wait to go off and buy his batch of fireworks. We had another BBQ and played with our cousin's new puppy, Nilla the whole weekend. She's the cutest thing in the world!!!!

Birthday Catch Up Party

2010-07-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

After the Scottish Festival, Colter's family had a party to celebrate all the birthdays that have occured the past couple of months. Nonnie bought the new Wi game "Just Dance," which everyone enjoyed throughly. No one so much so as our own Uncle Dan. The video will be in the next post. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life!!! Here are some pictures of the events of the night:

Bagpipes galore!!!

2010-07-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of videos from the Scottish Festival!!!

All bagpipe groups in Utah entering the field for the opening ceremonies.

Scottish Festival!!!!!

2010-07-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last month Colter and I went to Thanksgiving Point to see the Scottish Festival. We had so much fun! Colter really enjoyed learning about his heritage. We found the official "Montgomery Clan" where he learned about where his family came from.

There were bagpipes aroudn every corner always playing! There were also Highland Games there, which are hilariously awesome games that must have been invented when a bunch of guys were drunk one night. Lifting and throwing 20 ft. long log as far as one can, thowing barrels of hay over poles.... and much more ridiculous displays of masculinity.

Nonnie came and met us there, just in time for the opening ceremonies where every bagpipe band in Utah strode out on the field and play the Scottish National Anthem! The ground literally felt like it was shaking, it was bonechilling! The BYU ROTC Air Force Cadet Drill Team also performed, who recelty returned fromt he national drill team competition, where they won first place- beating their hosts, the Air Force Academy!!!

Broken Camera

2010-07-05T18:37:00.001-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago our camera broke at a family gathering. Therefore, it's been a while since I've been able to post anything, So I'll be doing some catchup!!! Here it goes.....

2010-06-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got to go to Durango with Colter's family. It was amazing! I love spending time with his family. Rick did an amazing job on his bike race, especially considering he's still recovering from a broken back, neck, and ribs from his car crash last year. We loved spending time with our nieces, Sydeny and Bella. They are so cute! Let's just say Bella makes us a little baby hungry. :)

Sydney loved the train that went by our hotel. Colter got a bunch of pennies and put them on the tracks for her. We got to have an amazing dinner at Sweeny's, where we met up with some old friends from Woodland Park Ward.

We also got to see Robin Hood, which is a pretty good movie. We're so happy Bella is feeling better since she changed to formula. She has changed quite a lot since the last time we saw her. Colter couldn't get enough of her. It was either me or him holding her the whole weekend.

Sydney is also as smart as ever. We had so much fun in the "tunnel" and the bubbles we brought for her. There were a ton of people in Durango for the weekend, especialy the race. There was a never ending line of racers climbing up the mountain. There were no breaks of people. It was pretty chaotic but a lot of fun.

Nothing makes you miss family more than getting to spend a little bit of time with them. We really hope to be able to spend more time with them once school is done.

Family Visits and Weddings!!!!

2010-05-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our cousin, Sarina married Tyler in the Mount Timpanogous Temple! It was such an amazing weekend. Our family was able to come out and visit us. Quinton, Stephanie, Sydney, and Bella stayed at our apartment Friday so we could get to the temple as quickly as we coudl in the morning, considering the ceremony was at 8am. :( We had so much fun!

Colter formed an instant attachment to Bella- between me and him, I don't think Bella spent any time being held by anyone else. After the ceremony, we went to the Golden Corral for the luncheon, where Sydney formed an instant attachment to her Uncle Dan. They spent the rest of the day side by side. So sweet.

Then we drove up to Evanston for the reception. Oh my goodness! It was so beautiful! The food was delicious, the decorations beautiful, and the best part was that the whole family was there. We were so sad to have to say goodbye to everyone, but now we just can't wait to go to Durango!!! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

One Year Anniverary!!!!!

2010-05-03T20:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our one year anniversary!!!! I can't believe how quickly the time goes by!!!!!! Colter and I celebrated last night by going to dinner and the movies. We had a fabulous dinner at Five Guys Burgers (my choice). There's no dinner like a good-'ol burger. :) After dinner we went to the movies and saw Clash of the Titans! Appropriate since I'm taking Greek and Roman Mythology right now in school. :)

Colter loves his fry sauce!!!! Custom in Utah, but hard to find anywhere else. :)

Burgers from heaven....

Opening our wedding cake top!!

Yummy!!!!!!

I'm so grateful for being married to the most amazing man in the world. He is the hardest worker, kindest man, and best person in the world that I could have ever married. He is my Mr. Perfectly Imperfect!!!! I love him for everything that he is, and even more for the things he is trying to do. I'm the luckiest girl in the world! Here's to another year of married bliss!!!!

Few Updates....

2010-04-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't posted anything in months! Things have been unbelievably crazy. I'm so grateful the semester is over. Colter and I did really well last semester, getting good grades and, more importantly, staying sane (for the most part).

Not much in the way of updates. So it'll be brief.

Last Sunday Colter and I got to go to another SWAT training! It was a ton of fun. This time the scenario was a school shooting. They had 4 gunman and about 100 local high schoolers there. It was pure chaos. We just ran through the halls screaming and panicking. Colter and I got separated by the SWAT guys and Colter 'fought' them off to get to me. It threw the guys off for a little bit, and it took 4 guys to get Colter under control. I brought a bunch of friends from dance, and unfortunately, one of them was shot by a SWAT guy. The trainers were pretty upset that a civilian was shot, needless to say. But we look forward to doing more training in the future, its a great feeling knowing you're helping them in some small way.

I quit my horrible job! I was working two jobs last semester and taking 15 credits. It is such a relief now to only have to work 10 hours a week and take 2 classes this term. I'm grateful I have such a hard working husband who makes this possible, and I' grateful that having more time allows me to help him more. Poor Colter is taking College Algebra AND Statistics this semester! He wants to get them out of the way as quickly as possible. The next couple of weeks will be busy, but so worth it.

So, like I said, not a whole lot went on these past couple of months. Just work, school, work, school, and then work and school sometime in there. :) Here are some pictures of the fun stuff we got to do throughout the semester!

The Ballroom Dance Company's Closing Social

Hiking up Rock Canyon for Colter's Biology Project

Don't mess with the SWAT team...

2010-02-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Last night I had an amazing opportunity to help the SWAT team. They needed volunteers to play the roles of victims of a mall shooting. There was about 20 volunteers there, so they assigned a few to be wounded, a few to be hostages, and a few to be runners (running away from the gunshots).

For the first scenario, I was a wounded victim. I pretended to have been shot in the side and crawled under a bench. We were supposed to scream, cry, yell, cuss if we had to to try to get the SWAT guys to break their concentration and come rescue us. Since no one told me when to stop acting, I "stayed in character" for a long time. They had to carry me out of the mall, stand guard over me while a medical truck came, load me into the truck, and take me to the Command Post. I was an early victim, so I got to listen to the rest of the mission from CP. What an experience- I got to hear the whole thing!

After the first scenario was finished, they wanted to run another, shorter one where roles would be switched for the volunteers. Since the first scenario had 2 male shooters, they wanted to have a female shooter... yeah.... they choose me..... They gave me a real gun (not plastic) and told me my job was to run around at the back of the building to see how the SWAT team would react to moving targets, especially for the snipers. I don't think I've ever run faster- you would too if you were a moving target. :) Once the squad had moved more into the store, I hid down a hall. When they got to the very end of the hall, I had to walk briskly toward them and hold my gun out like I was surrendering. As soon as they spotted me, they were yelling at me to drop the gun and get down on the ground. But as I was about to surrender my gun, I ran behind a wall, bullets flying at me. Then they started to negotiate with me. I really had to dig deep and try to respond like a terrorist, which is a LOT harder than you think, especially when you know you're about to "die." Anyway, I turned the corner, made one shot before the entire squad of 50 men opened fire. Talk about intense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity- I still can't believe I did it. If you can believe it, the above is a brief summary of everything that happened. Incredible!!! I really enjoyed helping the SWAT team train, it's so important for them to have it as realistic as possible so that if a shooting ever does occur, they have an idea of what to expect. Don't mess with the SWAT team, they're amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthdays, Research, and Work!!!

2010-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

Happy January, everyone!

I now know completely what people say when Junior year is the hardest year at college. With 15 credits, and a part time job, things have been going a thousand miles a minute here in Provo. Exciting news though, I got on a research team!! I work with Dr. Porter, who studies infants and their attachment, cognitive, and auditory abilities. It is absolutely amazing! I get to play with kids all day and stick horrible caps on their heads. I love it though, it's an amazing opportunity.

Colter celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday!! He had to spend a lot of his birthday in classes, that's what you get for being born during the school year. We had a great time! I baked a super-deluxe chocolate cake and added chocolate chips. Then I put "Happy 24th!" on top in chocolate chips. (Colter loves chocolate) I also completed his favorite action hero movie collection: Die Hard. I found all of the first three movies for a smashing deal, and I also got him a wallet. All in all, I hope he had a great birthday! Next year I plan on throwing a party, since he hates attention and big events just for him...

Colter's classes are going great. He's flying through his GE's, getting his science ones out of the way first. His biology teacher is an big bug guy, and if you know Colter, bugs are NOT his favorite. It has been very interesting so far. He's taking Accounting as well, which requires 10-11 hours of homework a week.

Basically to sum things up, we're grateful for all the short moments we get to spend together. This semester is going to be the hardest we'll ever go through, but it'll be worth it!

Video- Can we stay until April?

2010-01-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

So I have no idea how to upload a video... Here's the video of Matthew in the Conference Center.

Can we stay here till April??

2010-01-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

So my sister, Jaimee and her family came down to Salt Lake City for a wedding. The day after, Colter and I were able to spend the whole day with them! We spent the whole day on Temple Square. We had so much fun!!

David, the youngest, was attached by the hip to Colter. Everywhere we went, David was holding Colter's hand. We first went to the Church History Museum, where we were anxious to get to the children's exhibit instead of repeating "Don't touch" a thousand times. After mice, flags, and tossing bags to get to the Celestial Kingdom, we went to lunch at JB's. Bellies full, we scurried in the snow over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw the Joseph Smith movie. The kids were really good throughout the whole movie. A box of tissues later, we went to the Beehive House. The sister missionaries who took us through the house were really cute and involved with the kids.

Then the really cute part was when we went to the conference center. We got to go all the way down to the stage, and when we were there, Matthew said the cutest thing I've ever heard, and we luckily caught it on video!

The lights finally came on and Colter taught all the kids how to slide in the snow. We had such an amazing day. I love my sister so much, it was great to see her. We're blessed to have such an amazing family!

Here are some pictures from our day!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

2009-12-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We had an amazing Christmas this year. It was our first year together as a married couple and it was incredible!

We began our Christmas break up at Colter's grandparents house for their annual get-together. Then we were able to go see the lights at Temple Square and visit Colter's other set of grandparents.

Best part- we got to go home!!!! It was a short visit, but we were able to see all of our family. We had a blast! We've only been gone a few months, but it's amazing to see how many things change in such a short amount of time. We celebrated my 21st birthday at Colter's old work- Phantom Canyon.

On Christmas Eve we went to Colter's parents house, where his brother, sister-in-law, cutest niece, and my parents had dinner and watched Christmas movies. Christmas day was pretty much the same thing- hung out, ate candy, opened awesome presents. :) We also spent time with my family- I'm amazed at how everyone has changed but is still the same. It probably means that we're the ones that have changed. Anyway, we had an amazing Christmas. We are so blessed to have both of our families close to each other. We love them so much and miss them terribly!

Thanksgiving thanks!

2009-12-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Colter and I went up to Salt Lake to spend Thanksgiving with his grandparents. It was amazing! Great food, company, and sports!!! We spent a couple of days up there. Nonnie and I went to New Moon while Colter was at work. It was....interesting. That's about all I can say. We're so grateful for our family. We missed spending Thanksgiving with our immediate family but we're so grateful for extended family that love us just as much. We're so grateful to be here at school, even though it's probably one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. We're grateful for this church and for the blessings it brings to our lives. I'm also grateful I remembered to take some pictures finally!

The BEAUTIFUL table Nonnie put together...

Busy in the kitchen...:)Rusty waiting for his turkey. Or as Nonnie calls it, praying.

October fun!

2009-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Due to this semester being crazy, I haven't updated our blog in months. A lot of things have happened, so I'll do my best to cover everything...

School is going great! I absoutely love my classes. After this semester I'll be completely done with my pre-reqs for my major. Next semester I'll be heavy into my major. I'm so excited to finally get started! If we go spring and summer terms, I might graduate in Dec. next year! Colter is doing great in his classes. He has an incredibly hard schedule but he somehow manages to always do his homework on time and the readings! We only have a few weeks left before this semester ends, and we're so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas break!

Colter's parents and my parents were able to come visit us for homecoming weekend! We had a party with my old roommates then spent saturday at the parade, which I danced in with the Ballroom Dance Company. It was amazing to have our parents there. It makes us REALLY miss home. They came to all of our classes and spent everyday with us. We got to eat lunch on day at the Museum of Art Cafe, which is where Colter proposed to me, which was the first time our parents had ever seen it before. Colter's father had his neck brace finally removed, three months after his accident. What's the first thing he did after it was removed? He went on a bike ride for 3 hours... I swear, he has no idea how much anxiety he causes his family. ;)

Halloween was the most uneventful night ever. Colter had to work late, and I bought 4 bags of candy, thinking we'd have a ton a trick-or-teaters since we live in Wymount. We didn't have a single trick-or-treater! So sad...

Well, that's all I can think of right now. I'm terrible at takin pictures, so the only pictures I have of this past month are from the Homecoming Parade. I promise I'm going to try harder to take more pictures...

This is our view in the complex. I LOVE autumn!!!!
Colter and me waiting for the parade to start!

Exciting news!

2009-09-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

No, we're not pregnant, in case that's what you were thinking.

As many of you know, ballroom dance has been a huge part of my life. At the end of last semester, I thought my dancing days at BYU were done. Well, I'm pleased to say that not only am I back on the Ballroom Dance Company, but I've moved up on team!!! I am now on the Back-Up Tour Team which means I'll be one below the tour team!

There sure is a reason for everything. We're so grateful and happy for this blessing and new adventure. We're not sure how we're going to juggle everything, but somehow we'll manage! So everyone needs to come to the dance concert in April next year to see my name on Back-Up's list. :)

Weddings, Callings, and Colorado!

2009-08-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

This blogging stuff is hard to keep up with. So much has happened since last time I posted and it seems like whenever I sit down to post something I forget everything. So... sorry.

I finally got a calling for church! I'm a relief society instructor! Yikes, I know. I'm terrified. I teach every third sunday so my first time teaching will be Sept. 20th. If anyone has adivce, it woud be more than welcome. I've never taught before so I have no idea what I'm getting into.

One of my best friends, Cara Hervey, got married this past week! It was so amazing to share that expereince with her and her family. Hers was the first live sealing Colter and I have been to since our own. It was amazing!

I also just returned from a short 'trip' to Colorado. It was the first time since we've been married that Colter and I had to be apart. Holy crow, I had no idea it would be so hard! I thought we'd be ok, but wow that was hard. Good thing is that my dental surgery is all done and taken care of forever! Major stress relief. I was able to visit my family, old and new one. Colter's dad, Rick, is doing really well after his terrible car accident. The last day I was there we took him fishing. After sitting at home doing nothing for 2 weeks, he was very happy to be up and about. All I can say is he's crazy trying to fly fish with 6 broken cervical vertebrae, 2 broken lumbar vertebrae, and 9 broken ribs. But he did it! Thank goodness for the power of prayer and faith that got him through this accident. It was really scary there for a while.

School starts next week so we're going to be crazy busy again! Both of us are taking about 12 credits each and we're both working. I don't know how we're going to do it, but somehow I know we'll manage.

Here are some pictures from our fishing trip!

Lots of Updates...

2009-07-18T11:47:00.001-07:00

Hello family and friends!

Sorry it's been a while since the last update. Lots of things have happened....

1) We were able to spend 4th of July with our family in Evanston, WY. All I can say is you have NOT experienced the 4th until you've gone to Wyoming. Non-stop fireworks from 7pm-3am... It's insane. A few weeks before that, Colter's parents came to Evanston for Rick's bikerace. We got to spend the whole weekend with them. It was so great spending time with them, we miss them so much.

2) Colter found a job working at a Country Club in Draper! He started Wednesday and he works most nights. Its great, but it does mean I now have my evenings free... not much to do...

3) Colter got his calling to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher. His first sunday teaching is tomorrow and he's pretty nervous. There's probably 50 people in our class and he's used to teaching 10 Elder's Quorum guys... :)

4) School is going great for the both of us. We finished up taking our midterms and so far, so good. Colter is staying on top of all his readings, which I gave up doing a long time ago. I hate reading when it's required....

5) Tueday night we made a pretty dumb decision to stay up till 3:30 in the morning going to the Harry Potter premier. The movie was really good, everyone should go see it right now. The only bad thing is that we're still recovering from being in line for 5 hours and staying up till the early hours of the morning.... We had tons of fun though. Colter was the only guy in our group. We went with my old roommates, Monica, Christie, Jesi, and Jaci (Jesi's sister). We had such a good time making fun of all the crazy people dressed up. But who's to judge when we're in line 5 hours early...?

I know there's a ton more stuff, but I really can't think clearly right now. I'll have to keep a notebook near me and write down what I need to put up here. Here are pictures of what we've been up to!

A shout out for Fathers...

2009-07-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

I know Father's Day was a couple of weeks ago, but in my Family Foundation class, we studied the importance of fathers. It struck me so hard how essential fathers are.

Nowadays, about 33% of children do not have a resident biological father. That's 1 out of every 3 kids! I couldn't believe that. Also, 38.7% of babies are born to unwed mothers. Almost half! These statistics are staggering. I never knew how many people do not have fathers. Fathers are vital to a healthy, happy family. Children who do not have regular contact with their fathers are 5x as likely to live in poverty, 2x as likely to commit a crime, and 2x as likely to drop out of school. Fathers are soooooo important!!!!

After learning all these heartbreaking statistics, I am so grateful for all the fathers that I know. My professor (who extensively studied fatherhood) has concluded that the number one thing fathers can do for their children is to BE THERE. Be there to read bedtimes stories, to go sledding, to make smores, to build a fort, or to protect your daughter from the scary spiders. :) I have to thank my dad especially for this. He was always there for me and is the best dad's I know. I want to thank all fathers I know for being there.

2 Month Anniversary!!

2009-07-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Colter and I celebrated our 2 month anniversary yesterday! I can't believe it's already been 2 months. Time flies! I made sour cream enchilada's and I think Colter doesn't mind that he married me anymore since he's getting fed now :)

Things have been going pretty well. Colter is keeping on top of all his schoolwork, and I'm procrastinating as usual. (In fact, he's a whole week ahead in one of his classes) Reality is a shocker and I'm not sure I like it. Both of us are gone pretty much all day and the only time we spend together is a night, when we are both doing our homework. Oh well, that's life, right?!

Happy fourth of July! We hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and fun holiday! We're heading up to Evanston tomorrow and lighting off fireworks (first time ever for me). Colter has a job interview on Saturday so everyone be sure to keep him in your prayers!!!! Have a great holiday and sorry this post a little boring...;)

Getting Started...;)

2009-06-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello family and friends!!!

After tons of pressure, I have finally taken the time to sit down and get a blog started. Be patient with me- I'm still trying to figure this stuff out.

Colter and I have been married for 40-something days now! I still can't believe we're married. Married life is way different than anything I'd ever imagined- it's way better. It might be because I married such an amazing guy...;) We've moved to Provo and are starting school on monday!! Colter is still adjusting to a "Utah Mormon" lifestyle and I must say it's been a little entertaining to watch. ;) Our apartment looks pretty amazing, we're finally getting settled in and there's not quite so many boxes.

I'm sure there's a thousand more things I should be writing but I thought a general 'howdy' was appropriate for a first blog. I'll post more blogs after this weekend since we're heading up to Evanston to see Colter's dad race!!! Wish him luck! We love everyone!!!